Postage Stamps

The Washington correspondent of thé Cincinnati Commercial, has Been collating some statistics from the Posfcoflice Department that have a bearing upon the material and intellectual growth of the country. The eutire number of stamps issued since June 30, 1847, amounts to 9,719,308,527, "enough," the calculator informs ur, " to reach six times around the earth if placed end to end." Their aggregate value reaches $280,327,363.09. At the opening of the war thcy had reached 216,870,6(50, and represented a faee value of $5,920,930. 'Diere was a slight falling off in 1861, but that was promptly recovered, and since then the issue of stamps has incroased on the average about 100,000 a day or more than 30,000,080 yearly. In the fiscal year ending last summer the number of stamps amounted to 744,071,518, and their value aggregatcd. $20,562,463. During the fifteen years in which stamped envelopes have been issued, tho Government has sold to the public 1,839,601,025, of which 570,239,300 have been " request " envelopes. The number issued in 1853 was 5,000,000 ; issued last year, 183,500,350. Postalcards were first isaued in May, 1873, the design now in use having been adopted in 1875. The total number issued is 751,249,500, of which nearly one-third (200,680,000) were used "laat yonr. Stamps of special design have been issued for the use of each department in prepaying official mail matter. Sucli stamps were issued and still reinain in use, covering forty-nine varieties, the largest denomination, $20, being used by the State Department. Under tho act of June 23, 1872, stamps of special design were provided for the prepayment of postage on newspapers and peI riodicals. The issue was begun on the llth of December previows and still continúes. The denominations are i from 2 cents to $60. If the sales of I stamps increase in the futuro as in the pnst, within ten years it will reach Í40,000,000 annually.